black jeans. She was the best percussionist in the school band, and she knew it.
That girl was a born rebel, and I loved it.
She nudged me, and I remembered her question. That girl saw through any facade I put up, so I exhaled and just told her. “We haven’t really talked the past few days. We’re just not really friends anymore. It’s for the best.”
Audrey gave me a sympathetic look and intertwined her arm in mine. “Aww.”
“Why?” Nora went on, looking a little puzzled. “Why stop being friends?”
I glanced at Scarlett, who probably knew where I was coming from just because we were both in cheer and around Aaron more than Audrey and Nora. I shrugged. “It’s just hard when we’re friends and we know we kind of like each other and stuff happens or gets close to happening and…”
“And?” Nora said as we got into the cafeteria and in line. “You two are just…made for each other. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and it’s so sweet I could barf.” That at least got a smile on my face. “I just don’t get why you can’t be more than friends if you both have feelings for each other,” she finished.
“Because,” I replied, even though I was sick of thinking about it. “David would hate Aaron for going after his sister.”
Nora pursed her lips. “I just think that’s a big assumption, Rach. Why push away Aaron based on what you think would happen?”
I shrugged. “Because I know my brother.”
Scarlett exhaled. “Maybe he’ll come around someday,” she said. “It could work out. Maybe not now, but at some point.”
I shrugged again, not sure I wanted to hold onto that kind of hope.
“So what if he doesn’t like it?” Nora put her hands on her hips. “He’ll get over it eventually. If he really loves you two, then he’ll understand. Won’t he?”
Audrey frowned. “I don’t think it’s that easy.”
I stopped. “You don’t get it. David would be so mad at Aaron, thinking he just hung around and became his friend to get with me or something. And how dare he look at his little sister like that and… And then I’d see how much all of that would hurt Aaron and David, and I just can’t. I mean, what if they got into a fight or something? Plus my Dad likes Aaron right now, but he wouldn’t anymore if all of sudden Aaron was my boyfriend. Oh, and that’s assuming he’d let Aaron be my boyfriend. And that’s not even taking into account if it all just fizzles out. Like what if we broke up after a month or two? I would hate myself if it was all for nothing.”
Nora frowned, but I could see she saw my point, even if she didn’t agree with me. “Wow. The whole situation just sucks. You know what? I changed my mind. Go fall in love with someone less complicated, ‘kay?”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “So that’s why it’s best that we’re not friends anymore. It’s easier that way.”
Nora sighed. “You’re still giving him a ride home, though?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him I couldn’t do it anymore. That wasn’t the type of person I was, anyway.
“I bet that’s fun,” she said as we grabbed trays for our food.
I grabbed utensils. “Not really.”
They used to be the highlight of my day. These days, they only consisted of small talk about school or homework and listening to music in silence.
Already, I missed all of our old conversation over the years, joking about anything and everything. His brothers. My brothers. My dad. We actually joked a lot about my Dad and my culture in general. He loved hearing about it because his Dad hadn’t been in the picture in a long time.
Aaron and his brothers were half Latino because of their Dad, but they didn’t speak Spanish or anything.
I got the feeling that he wished he knew more about his roots so I told him a lot about mine.
Last semester, we listened to Spanish music and sometimes I taught him words or phrases in Spanish. I loved that all of that had brought us closer together.
But we couldn’t have that anymore.
My heart hurt just thinking about it.
Audrey’s voice brought me back to reality. “I don’t know, Rachel. Do you think you’re being too hasty? Maybe you guys can be friends? Keep doing what you’ve been doing? I mean, you guys are just miserable like this…”
I shook my head. “No,